4 Principles

As we establish the foundation of this new ministry, we have decided on 4 underlying principles that will drive our goals and strategies for the next year - accountabilithy, personal time with God, connection, and outreach.

ACCOUNTABILITY

This is the cornerstone principle. If you take a look at our society, you don't have to look very far to find moral failure after moral failure from men (and women) who tried to their lives in service to God all by themselves. With no one to question them, no one to challenge them, no one to look out for them... they fell on their faces. In His infinite wisdom, God designed us to THRIVE in community with others! We were not created to go through life alone. Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Stop trying to fight Satan with dull swords!

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD

Without accountability, I find this next step to be nearly impossible... doable for some, but I'm definitely not one of them (believe me, I've tried). Once we have someone to keep us accountable, we have to spend some time getting to know this man named Jesus. How? We talk to Him, we read what He wrote, and we listen to what He has to say. Time with God does not have to be complicated! Since my wife and I were engaged to be married, I can count on one hand the number of days that we have gone without talking to eachother (well, if you exclude that time I was in an igloo in Alaska for 3 days). We care about each other so much that we make our conversations a priority; even if it's just a short "I love you" on the phone before we go to sleep when we are apart. God wants that intimacy with you... even if it's just a simple "I love you," He wants to hear it! That's how relationships grow.

CONNECTION

While the first two were mostly about me, this is the first one that really requires me to GIVE. If I knew someone that gave out cash to anyone that asked, and he had an endless supply... How selfish would I be if I never told you about it? Connecting is our opportunity to give people hints and find new clues for living a righteous life. As I teach my 2-yr-old to share, she hates it until she realizes that by giving something away, her arms are now open to get something else. That is how healthy relationships work! By giving of yourself to a community, you reap the synergistic effect of all the skills, talents, fun, and laughter that the community has to offer. Our goal is to provide an environment that allows for a growing, thriving community.

OUTREACH

Herein lies the beauty of the whole thing! When our personal relationships with God are flourishing and our love for one another is unmatched, it's time to start giving it away! While we were connecting, it was easy and comfortable to share what was on your mind and in your heart because the people you were talking to were in your circle of trust. Now we step into the unknown. Now is when we use the confidence and relationships we've gained through the other principles to take the gospel to the world! But first, we have to start loving others in our own backyard... our neighbors, our co-workers, our classmates

Man, this stuff gets me excited!

-Curtis